Jun Several women from the same family stripped naked
and forced to parade on streets in Nawabpur, near Multan

Jun Russian Foreign Minister Gromyko takes a hardline
in his talks with Yaqub Khan in Moscow: the Russians have entered Afghanistan
in response to the Kabul government's request and its departure is not
a subject for discussion in Geneva talks, which should focus on the elimination
of "outside interference" (i.e., US covert war)

The recently drafted Islamic Law of Evidence equates the
evidence of two women to that of one man, while the evidence of one woman
is not valid. Subsequently, the Law has been amended to restrict the equation
of "two women - one man" to financial matters only. In such
matters, the evidence of one woman will not be admitted.

WAF to the rescue

The signature campaign and rallies led by the Women's Action
Forum and other women's organisations prove successful as the Federal
Shariat Court acquits Safia Bibi, apparently pressurised by the bad publicity
her case was receiving in the international press. Safia, aged 18, who
was raped but could not identify her rapists because she is virtually
blind, was earlier sentenced to public lashing, imprisonment and a fine
on charges of adultery.

Stand up for your rights

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) is formed
by a group of concerned citizens, including Justice (retired) Dorab Patel.
The HRCP accuses the US government of helping the Zia regime in abrogating
human rights in Pakistan.

Internal affairs

July. George Shultz is the first US Secretary of
State to visit Pakistan since Henry Kissinger in 1976. He has praised
Pakistan for providing a home for 3 million refugees, expressed US willingness
to continue a large Afghan aid program but has also, in a lower key, voiced
continuing US worries about Pakistan's nuclear program.

In secret cables to the White House, Shultz has lauded Zia
as "a capable and impressive leader" and Yaqub Khan as "one
of the most impressive and articulate foreign ministers now in office."

Like all other American dignitaries who have made a beeling
to Islamabad over the last few years, Shultz too has avoided to comment
on the human right issues and diminishing civil liberties in Pakistan.
On these, the official US stand remains unchanged, i.e., they are internal
affairs of Pakistan.

Women should be barred from high political office?

August 4 The Ansari Commission suggests Islamic provisions
to be incorporated into the 1973 Constitution, proposing that women should
not be allowed to hold high political positions such as president or prime
minister. In addition, women contesting elections must be above 50 years
of age and have prior written permission from their husbands.

Cry freedom

The second wave of the Movement for the Restoration of Democracy
(MRD), which began on August 14, seems to have subsided. The last three
months have seen massive demonstrations, especially in the interior of
Sindh, frequently leading to a law and order crisis for the administration.
The failure of opposition leaders, all of whom are behind the bars, to
oust the Zia regime through a popular uprising may allow those in power
to heave a sigh of relief, but the violent demonstrations prove that the
people are not willing to accept the dictatorship of "mard-e-Haq"
and are actually looking forward to his fall. Given General Zia's endless
plans for "reform" and his systematic mutilation of the constitutional
set-up, however, such freedom continues to remain beyond reach.

A Law for protecting the environment

Pakistan Environment Protection Ordinance passed recently
is the first framework environment legislation in the country. The primary
focus of the legislation is pollution control and it sets up emission
standards for industries.

Blind faith?

February Believing
they would be miraculously transported to Karbala, 38 Shia men, women
and children from a village in Chakwal climb into metal trunks and are
pushed into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi. Almost half the
group, including the young girl whose visions prompted this bizarre expedition,
perish. The Hawkes Bay incident raises questions about the limits of blind
faith. Believing they would be miraculously transported to Karbala, 38
Shia men, women and children from a village in Chakwal climb into metal
trunks and are pushed into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karachi. Almost
half the group, including the young girl whose visions prompted this bizarre
expedition, perish. The Hawkes Bay incident raises questions about the
limits of blind faith.

National Conservation Strategy

Inspector General of Forests (Pakistan) has approached
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) at Gland to help
Pakistan develop its National Conservation Strategy. The idea of a conservation
strategy has emerged since the IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
developed a World Conservation Strategy to 'save the world' three years
ago in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme.

The difference

"The difference between India and Pakistan was Imran
Khan," says Sunil Gavasker. The current series between Pakistan and
tourists India ends with the Indian skipper's tribute to his Pakistani
counterpart.